Overview

T4

It is 1939. Paula Becker, thirteen years old and deaf, lives with her family in a rural German town. As rumors swirl of disabled children quietly disappearing, a priest comes to her family’s door with an offer to shield Paula from an uncertain fate. When the sanctuary he offers is fleeting, Paula needs to call upon all her strength to stay one step ahead of the Nazis.

Editorial Reviews

Thirteen year-old Paula Becker is deaf, a death sentence in Germany in 1939, because the Nazi regime orders the killing of anyone who is disabled or mentally ill. With the help of their priest, Paula's parents send her into hiding, first to live with a retired schoolteacher, and then to a homeless shelter, where she meets "Poor Kurt." Paula and Poor Kurt become friends, enduring hardship and loss over the course their stay at the shelter. After the war, Paula returns home and brings Poor Kurt with her. She learns his real name is Walthar, that he had disguised himself as an old beggar, but is really a young man. He gets work on a nearby farm and a few years later, he and Paula marry. Though they are happy, their guilt over surviving while so many perished, persists. Written in graceful free verse in Paula's voice, this is a riveting account of yet another horror of the Holocaust. Reviewer: Miriam Chernick

Children's Literature - Miriam Chernick

Tiergartenstrasse 4 was the address of the headquarters in Berlin where the Nazi program to exterminate children with disabilities was drafted. Just as concentration camps sought to eliminate Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals from the nation, T4 was a diabolical program that convinced parents that their children would be better cared for by the government, when in reality they were being euthanized. Paula Becker is deaf and friends of her family are aware that T4 will allow officials to take her away permanently. So Paula starts a journey that takes her into hiding and brings her into the world of Old Kurt. Told in free verse, this is a gentle retelling of a horrific situation. Old Kurt helps her to hide her disability. He has his own secrets to hide and the two develop a deep and trusting relationship. The novel is a great addition to the canon of WW II YA literature, helping readers to understand how being different at this time was a dangerous thing. Reviewer: Janis Flint-Ferguson

KLIATT - Janis Flint-Ferguson

Gr 6 Up

Thirteen-year-old Paula Becker is Deaf during a time when people with disabilities are ordered to be killed in Hitler's Tiergartenstrasse 4, T4. Through the help of a priest, she is hidden on the farm of a retired teacher and, when almost discovered, is moved to a homeless shelter in a church until she can return home. Telling her story through first-person free-verse poems, she draws readers into her world, sharing her fear, desperation, and uncertainty as she struggles to survive. Even though this is a short and quick read, this novel will have a lasting effect on readers, giving insight into an often-forgotten aspect of the horrors of the Third Reich. The unique writing style makes this a good choice for reluctant as well as proficient readers.-Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD

School Library Journal

Paula Becker, deaf since infancy, lives in a small German town with her loving family until the Nazi government initiates Action T4, a program whose ultimate goal is to euthanize people with disabilities. For her safety, Paula is sent into hiding, first with a woman who teaches her to sign, then to a church shelter. There she meets Kurt, a strange man who persuades her to leave with him. They wander toward Berlin, but after a brief sojourn with a Jewish family in hiding, they return to the shelter. When T4 officially ends, Paula returns home, bringing Kurt with her. This short, debut novel-in-verse by a deaf author is thin on characterization and confusing in chronology. Brief, generic vignettes fail to bring the story to life. LeZotte repeatedly cuts away from the action to explain historical context and define terms, content better suited to a prose introduction or afterword than to verse. Nonetheless, behind what reads like a fictionalized historical summary for young children are hints of a genuine literary gift. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

"This free verse historical-fiction account is as gripping and moving as any Holocaust story and would be a rich addition to any World War II study."—Winston Salem Journal

"A gentle retelling of a horrific situation. . . . A great addition to the cannon of WWII YA literature, helping readers to understand how being different at this time was a dangerous thing."—KLIATT

"In her powerful debut novel, LeZotte, who is deaf, tells the story from the viewpoint of one young girl, who speaks in spare, lyrical, intense free verse that blends her personal experience with the historical facts and an additional adult perspective that looks back."—Booklist

"LeZotte’s use of free verse offers a lyrical, flowing story of yet another aspect of this historic tragedy. As a deaf person herself, she is able to delve deep into the main character’s feelings as a disabled person, adding another layer to this moving account."—Advocate News, Baton Rouge, Lousiana

"This short yet stirring read accompanied by additional notes at the back of the book would be a rich addition to any Holocaust study unit."--Jewish Book World

"T4 exposes the darkness of the time while capturing the wonder and hope of one girl's survival."—About Our Children

"I found that I couldn't put this book down. It was so amazing. . . [it’s] really rich in detail and is a great story."—FlamingNet.com, student review

"A poetic book that simply and powerfully examines the injustices of the Nazis during World War II."—Holly Newton, Newton's Book Notes

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Everyone knows about the Holocaust, but not many people know much about Action T4.

T4 was a program Hitler used to sterilize and/or kill thousands of Jews with disabilities. People like Paula Becker, a deaf girl, were forced into hiding to save their lives. In her free verse poetry, Paula talks about hiding and running from Hitler and the T4 doctors.

This book was captivating. Before reading it I had never heard of Action T4. It was amazing to read a story through the eyes of a young girl as she is forced to leave her parents and go into hiding.

This was a short, easy read that anyone would appreciate.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Amazing very well written

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

His book was amazing! It was written like a poem and had a great story, even if it was short. Its seventy some pages but still good. Warning, it gets sort of sad and suspensful, but it is not too sad. Its a really good book

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

This book is the best way took look back on history in poetic scripture. You'll be thinking " Why did she do that, i most likely would'nt do that.""What's gonna happen,is she going to die?"

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I dont know wether or not to buy this book normaly i read the posts other people make to get a better idea about the book but there arent any posts so i will write the first one this seems like a good slash boring book im totally torn if anyone reads and decides on this book please tell me

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